Car-coupling



(No Modem L. s, MANNING. GAR COUPLING.

Patented June 6, 1893.

WITNESSES.

. ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL S. MANNING, OF ALESSANDRO, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,133, dated June 6,1893.

Application filed March 14, 1893. Serial No. 465,930. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEMUEL S. MANNING, of Alessandro, in the county ofSan Bernardino and State of California, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

The objects of my invention are to provide a simple and effectivecar-coupling, which will be adapted to cushion percussion and draftstrains received in service, which will couple automatically withanother coupling of its class, and will afford means for the safedetachment of two of the improved couplings on cars, from either side ofsaid cars.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partofthis specification, in which similar letters'of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view, partly broken away and in section, of theimprovement in position on a car. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional sideView of the front portion of the improved coupling, on the line 2-2 inFig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4: isa transverse sectional view of the improvement, on the line 4-4 in Figs.1 and 2.

The body of the drawhead of theimproved car coupling is entirelycylindrical, its front portion A that is designed to project in advanceof the car body whereon it is placed, being conically apertured from itsflared front edge as indicated at a in Figs. 2 and 3. The

circular and inwardly-converged wall of the recess a, terminates in aspheroidal cavity 1), which is perforated in its base as at c, to permitthe escape of dust that enters said cavity from the front of thedrawhead.

Beneath the carframe A that is in the main of ordinary construction, twonearly central and spaced longitudinal stringers B, are socured andwhich may be a part of the said frame, these stringers being paralleland suitably separated for the reception between them of the drawheadand the attachments thereto, it being understood that duplicatecouplings of the improved construction are provided, which individuallyengage the stringers, as will be explained.

The stringers B, are projected beyond the car body at each end a properdegree, for the support of the coupling, and may be cut away on thelower edge to reduce their breadth where projected. Upon or near thelower edges of the projected ends of the stringers B, oppositelongitudinal slots at, are cut or formed, of a sufficient length toreceive and support laterally-extended flanges e, forming parts of anenveloping case 0, constructed preferably of sheet metal, and secured onthe front portion of the drawhead as represented in Figs. 2 and 4. Saidcase is composed of two half sections, each flanged at e and saidflanges are secured together by bolts 6, so as to permit the easyattachment and removal of the case as required, and are bent oppositelyat the edges that project through the slots (1, to aid in holding thedrawhead centrally between the stringers. From the chambered portionA ofthe drawhead a solid cylindrical body A, is rearwardly extended havingits diameter suitably reduced, .a proper length being afforded the saidportion A, and from its rear end an integral cylindrical portion Afurther reduced in diameter, is projected in axial alignment with theparts A A, as indicated in Fig. l.

The portions A, A of the drawhead are loosely sustained in position onthe stringers B, by the transverse wall plates 0, which are formed ofwood or metal, these plates having central orifices produced in them,for the loose embrace of the portions A, A respectively, of thedrawhead.

The cylindrical rearward portion A of the drawhead body, is given alength greater than the part A, and is prevented from a complete removalthrough the wall plate 0 by a transverse key g inserted in a cross slotformed in the part A near its rear end.

- On the portion A of the drawhead astrong spiral spring D is mounted,which spring is of a suitable length and strength for efiective service,and it loosely embraces the part A, having contact at its ends with arear shoul-, der on the portion A of the drawhead and the transversewall plate 0 as shown in Fig. 1.

A collar h, is placed on the portion A of the drawhead, in contact withthe end of the portion A of the drawhead, and is held in* place by thekey i which is inserted in a transverse slot formed in the collar anddrawhead. The space between the collar h and the transverse wall 0 isoccupied by a strong spiral spring E, that bears with its ends upon thecollar and wall respectively, as shown in Fig. 1.

As arranged, the springs D and E are adapted to absorb shocks receivedon the front end of the portion A of the drawhead, and also cushion thedrawhead against jars it receives, due to fluctuation in draft forceapplied to the coupling.

Within the front portion A of the drawhead, a recess a is formed, whichis rectangular in cross section, and in the recess a, a latch block G,is located, which consists essentially of a rectangular fiat metalblock, knuckle jointed at 1% upon the portion A of the drawhead at thefront terminal of the recess it occupies when in elevated adjustment. Onthe lower side of the main portion of the latch a locking tongue n isformed or secured at the transverse center of the. latch, said tongueconsisting of a depending piece ofmetal having parallel sides and of aproper thickness and length for effective service, and straight on itsrear edge, which isformed' at such an angle to the lower surface of thelatch that when the tongue is engaged with the bottom surfaceof ashallow groove 0, that is out in the base of the conical recess a, therear edge of the tongue will be at a right angle. with. said surface, asindicated in Fig.2. The front edge at of the tongue n, is beveleddownwardly and rearwardly from the under side. of the latch G so as tofacilitate the introduction of the coupling link I. l

The. link I is made of suitable metal, and has an elongated bodythat isnearly. parallel on its sides, its upper and lower faces being slopedfrom the longitudinal center of the.

link toward each end, so as to taper it a proper degree.

The. ends of the. link I are curve-sloped on the side edges, as at p,inFig. 3, to render the link more convenient for a free. introduction ofeither. end into the converging cavity in the front portion A of thedrawhead. At a suitable distance from each end of the link a slot 0" isformed which slots. are of a like. i

shape, each being located on the median line of the. link, andsufficiently elongated to receive. freely the body of the dependingtongue the inserted end of thelink engaging itsu-pper surface with theupper Wall of the sphee roidal cavity b, and maintaining the link inposition for an entrance of its outer end within another drawhead of alike construction.

On the vertical end wall of the car body A a transverse horizontal rockshaft 3, is supported by a suitable number of boxes .9, as shown in Fig.1, said shaft having an arm 5 projected outwardly from it of a properlength; and from its outer end a chain a is downwardly-extended, thelower terminal of the chain being connected to a ring eye 0 secured orformed on the upper face of the latch block G, at its transverse centerand near its rear end, as shown in Fig. 2, the chain it or long link uthereof, extending loosely through a slot to, formed in the top of theportion A of the drawhead to. permit its connection with the latch blockas stated. On the ends of the rock shaft 8, that project beyond eachside of the car body, similar crank arms 5 are affixed and hang pendentwhen the arm 5- is horizontally projected as shown in Fig. 1, and thelatch block is in its normal position indicated in Fig. 2.

To couple the improvement to another device of its class on anapproaching car, the link I is entered within the conical recess of thefront portion A of the drawhead, and is held projected by the contact ofits inserted end with the upper wallof the chamber b, as 'gbeforeexplained; thiswill permit the other end to enter the approachingdrawhead and lift its latch block, the tongue 72 thereon en- 1 tongue aton te latch block from which the link was-projected was already coupledthereevident that a complete connection of two of the improved couplingswill be produced antomatically by the mere movement of the two i carstoward each other on the railroad track.

When the coupled cars having the improvement are to be detached, thiscan be readily effected byswingingup one of the crank garms at the sideof the car, so as to raise the arm s ,on theshaft s, which hasbgen thusrotatably moved, and which will then elevate the latch block G andrelease the link Iin an obvious manner. 0

gclaim as new and desire to secure-by Letters lPatent- 1. In a carcoupling, a cylindrical drawheadspring cushioned against percussion an-ddraft strain, comically recessed at its front, and provided with apivoted latch block adapted to interlock with an elongated slottedlink,substantially as described. 2. In a car coupling,acylind ricaldrawhead t loosely engaging perforated wall plates forminga portion ofacar frame, and coiledspri ngs enveloping the drawhead body and pressingagainst said: plates, substantially as shown and described.

3. In acar coupling, a cyl indricaldrawhead ibody comprising twointegral axially aligned portions of different diameters, the forwardgaging with the slot r in the link, and as the to by the act ofinserting the link,"it will be Having thus fully described my invention,I

portion of the drawhead being conically recessed, and furnished with alatching device adapted to automatically interlock with a slotted link,substantially as described.

4. A coupling link for a drawhead having a conical recess at its frontend, comprising a link body having nearly parallel side walls, top andbottom walls tapered toward each end from the center of length, andsimilarly slotted near each end to receive the tongue of a latch blockin the conically recessed drawhead, substantially as described.

5. In a car coupling, the combination with a cylindrical drawheadcomprising a front portion A of large diameter, conically recessed atits front end and rectangularly recessed above the conical recess, thelatter terminating at the rear in a globular chamber, which chamber isaperturedin its base, a solid body portion A of less diameter than theportion A, a solid body portion A of less diameter than the portion A,the part A having a collar secured thereon, spiral springs on theportions A, A of the drawhead, a clamping case on the front portion A,guide plates projecting oppositely at the sides of said case, a latchblock hinged within the front portion of the drawhead, a dependingtongue thereon adapted to seat in a groove in the conical recess, and adevice on the front of the car adapted when manipulated, to raise thelatch block, substantially as described.

LEMUEL S. MANNING.

Witnesses:

OLIVER P. WIDAMAN, F. H. TRUE.

